Thirst

If it’s true that American wine consumption has risen sharply in the new millennium—studies suggest that we’ll soon outpace the French—the scene in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill provides a good picture of the phenomenon in microcosm. The BAM area’s rows of classic brownstones, have, in recent years, developed an obsession with shops peddling an international assortment of bottles. “It’s hard to imagine now,” says Amy Bennett, the owner of The Greene Grape(765 Fulton St between South Oxford St and South Portland Ave 718-797-9463)on Fulton Street. “But when we opened in early 2004 there was no wine store with educated staff. I just felt like we were filling a need.” Four short years later, it would seem that neighborhood residents want vino to become as easy to access as dry cleaners.

Of course, with this comes the inevitable hand-wringing about gentrification, but none of the new merchants seems fazed by it. All are neighborhood residents committed to introducing patrons to independent vineyards, and affordability seems to be the buzzword among them—especially appropriate in an area bordered by the on-the-verge Bedford-Stuyvesant, an art school (Pratt Institute) and the housing projects just west of the newly opened Gnarly Vines(350 Myrtle Ave between Adelphi St and Carlton Ave 718-797 3183) on Myrtle Avenue. Thirst (187 DeKalb Ave at Carlton Ave 718-596-7643), a tiny triangular nook where bottles seem to float on wavy, Art Nouveau–inspired shelves, is on the restaurant hub along DeKalb Avenue, while Olivino( 905 Fulton St between Clinton and Vanderbilt Aves, Clinton Hill 718-857-7952), just up the hill from the Greene Grape, serves Clinton Hill proper. If residents prefer to go out instead of drinking at home, two unique wine bars have also sprung up: Stonehome (87 Lafayette Ave between South Elliott Pl and South Portland Ave 718-624-9443), where the design and haute cuisine are as casually sophisticated as the wine list, and Smooch( 264 Carlton Ave at DeKalb Ave 718-624-4075), a vegetarian café that stocks organic offerings. Brian Robinson, a onetime Christie’s wine auctioneer and co-owner of Gnarly Vines, probably best sums up the spirit of the trend. “There’s quite a bit of hot air around the subject of wine,” he confesses, “but my mission wasn’t to bring something elite to Myrtle Avenue. It was more about offering diverse options—I like to say that our price range is $6–$600—to my neighbors, an equally diverse mix of people.”

—K. Leander Williams